Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Home renovation activity remained steady in 2025, with more than half of U.S. homeowners (54%) undertaking renovation projects, according to the 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study from Houzz.
The study reveals that median renovation spend remained at $20,000 in 2025, while high-end activity gained momentum, with the top 10% of projects reaching $150,000 or more. Meanwhile, homeowners are taking a more measured approach to future projects, with 50% planning renovations (down from 52% last year) and intended median spend declining to $15,000 for 2026 from $20,000 in 2025.
“Home renovation continues at historic levels, even as homeowners take a more cautious approach to future projects,” says Marine Sargsyan, head of economic research at Houzz. “What’s driving this resilience is pent-up demand from homeowners who are finally able to act on long-planned renovations. At the same time, we’re seeing a clear shift toward investing in forever homes rather than moving, with many adapting their spaces to meet changing needs.”
Pent-up demand remains the strongest motivator for home upgrades, with 40% of homeowners saying they finally have the time to renovate and 36% reporting they now have the financial means to do so. Renovations are also driven by a recent home purchase (20%), damage due to home age (19%) or life events (16%). The survey also found that 61% of homeowners plan to stay in their homes for 11 years or more and 44% describe their residence as a forever home.
Other top highlights from the study:
- Nearly 2 in 5 homeowners who set renovation budgets (37%) spent over budget in 2025, mainly citing costlier than expected products or services (52%) as a key factor, followed by choosing to invest beyond their original plans by selecting higher-end materials (35%) and expanding the scope of their projects mid renovation (31%).
- 91% of homeowners hire professionals to complete their projects, with general contractors continuing to be the most frequently sought construction professionals, used by 29% of renovating homeowners.
- Kitchen projects have the longest renovation timelines overall, with an average of 9.5 months spent on planning and 5.8 months spent on construction. Smaller-scale projects follow a similar pattern, with closets and home offices taking 6.6 and 6.1 months on average to plan, respectively, and have construction phases that last 4.3 and 3.4 months on average, respectively.
- Paint continues to be the most commonly purchased category for home renovations (62%), followed by lighting fixtures (48%) and faucets and shower heads (46%). Building materials (41%) and lawn and garden supplies (44%) also rank highly, while select categories such as major kitchen appliances (29%, down from 33%) and noncarpet flooring (34%, down from 38%) have seen slight declines.
